National Guard

Governor activates 100 additional Air National Guard troops, directs state agency directors to allow employees who are disaster relief volunteers to participate in flood efforts

June 16, 2008 -- SPRINGFIELD – With river levels expected to reach record or near-record levels at several locations along the Mississippi River this week, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today said he has directed emergency management officials to increase state personnel and assets to help communities protect homes, local water supply systems, bridges, roads and other critical infrastructure.

Flooding in Urbana, Illinois, May 2008: Photo by Joe Futrelle (CC)    » read more »

INDIANAPOLIS – With the help of an advanced counterdrug aircraft, the Indiana National Guard has received live footage of flood damage throughout the state to assist with missions and help local governments plan to repair the damage.

Reconnaissance Cargo 26B aircraft used to photograph Indiana flood damage: The 130th Airlift Wing out of Charleston, W.V., flew the Reconnaissance Cargo - 26B (RC-26B) aircraft over Indiana June 11 to provide aerial footage of flood for the public. US Army photo by Staff Sgt. Marvin Cornell    » read more »

TERRE HAUTE - As the Air National Guard’s 181st Intelligence Wing and the Army National Guard’s 519th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion personnel made their way toward Hulman Field, they had an idea what their mission was going to be during June’s drill weekend.

National Guard fills sandbags in Indiana: 181 Intelligence Wing, Terre Haute, Ind., continuously fill sand bags in relief following the flood waters that hit early Saturday morning. Photo by SSgt Chris Jennings, 181IW/PA

More than six inches of rain dumped into the Wabash Valley on Friday evening and well into Saturday morning, stranding motorists and pouring storm water into local residents' homes.    » read more »

BALTIMORE, Md. (05/28/2008) - Hurricane season doesn’t officially start until June 1, but the Maryland National Guard and the Baltimore County Fire Department aren’t waiting until then to get acquainted.

On May 17, a small detachment of Maryland Guard Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment (Security & Support) in Edgewood, Md., with two, high clearance five-ton trucks and a Humvee traveled to Baltimore County Fire Department’s (BCFD) station #17 to rehearse and train with the counties swift water and flood rescue teams.    » read more »

05/28/2008 - WASHINGTON - This week the Army and Marine Corps announced an increase, while the Navy and Air Force announced a decrease. The Coast Guard number remained the same. The net collective result is 410 more reservists mobilized than last week.    » read more »

May 19, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the alert of additional major units scheduled to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The announcement involves four brigades from the Army National Guard.

All four brigades will have a security force mission and be assigned tasks to assure freedom of movement and continuity of operations in the country. Those tasks will include base defense and route security in Iraq and Kuwait.    » read more »

05/19/2008 - WASHINGTON - The Defense Department today announced force rotations for Iraq and Afghanistan, including upcoming active-duty deployments later this year and alerts to Army National Guard units to deploy in spring 2009 and 2010.

U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers conduct an information gathering patrol in Amariyah, Iraq, May 1, 2008: The U.S. Soldiers are from Charlie Troop, 2nd Platoon, 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez.    » read more »

ARLINGTON, Va. (05/12/2008) - National Guard members in four states were called out by their governors to assist civil authorities May 12 after tornados crossed the Southwest May 10 and flooding on the Delaware coast left communities in need of emergency assistance.

Arkansas Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Lucas Jennings discusses tornado response missions in Arkansas: Arkansas National Guard photo

Since May 7, the National Weather Service has confirmed at least 42 tornados in the southern Plains and the southeastern and middle Atlantic regions of the nation with the strongest tornado recorded May 10 as an F-4. It developed from a super cell storm that tracked through three states.    » read more »

EDGEWOOD, Md. -- 05/12/2008 -- Experts are predicting a “well above average” hurricane season for 2008, and the Maryland Army National Guard stands ready to respond.

In addition to attending quarterly flood rescue meetings and continually honing their skills as professional Soldiers by practicing lifesaving rescue techniques, Maryland Army National Guard aviators are now learning how to use a new piece of communications equipment developed specifically to talk to local first responders on the ground and government officials during an emergency.    » read more »

May 11, 2008 -- JEFFERSON CITY - Since yesterday evening Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has been in contact with state emergency management officials regarding tornadoes that inflicted severe damage and took the lives of many of our fellow citizens in southwest Missouri.

Tornado damage: Photo by William Redman (CC)

The state emergency operations plan is activated to allow state agencies to assist with the local emergency response efforts. The hardest hit areas include Barry, Jasper and Newton Counties.    » read more »

April 24, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a meeting with Lieutenant General Steven Blum, Chief of the National Guard Bureau and Lieutenant General Craig McKinley, Chief of the Air National Guard, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked for support in his efforts to secure a new flying mission for the 183rd Air Wing and maintain National Guard firefighters at Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport.

National Guard fighter jets

A representative from Senator Barack Obama's (D-IL) office also attended today's meeting.    » read more »

Guard validates emergency plans with disaster response exercise

CAMP BEAUREGARD, La. - The Louisiana National Guard finished months of preparation with a joint Disaster Response Exercise April 2-6 in New Orleans.

The training brought together nearly 600 participants from the National Guard, Coast Guard, local, state and federal agencies to complete an exercise that simulated a category two hurricane hitting the greater New Orleans metropolitan area.

Soldiers help an injured role player during a Disaster Response Exercise: Soldiers were given different missions simultaneously to test the Louisiana National Guard’s ability to respond to an emergency. US Army photo by Thomas Benoit    » read more »

April 16, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators—including Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.)—today unveiled their plan to provide the men and women of our National Guard and Reserves with benefits that better reflect their increased service to our country.

A National Guardsman returns after extended deployment: Photo by Poppyseed Bandits (CC)    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- SANTA FE - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson sent a letter to President George W. Bush today urging him to extend Operation Jump Start, the National Guard deployment along the US-Mexico Border. Operation Jump Start is scheduled to end along the New Mexico border on June 15, 2008.

A National Guard entry identification team watches the U.S. border near Columbus, NM: The National Guard is helping the Border Patrol secure the nation's southern border in support of Operation Jump Start. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jim Greenhill    » read more »

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. - Retired Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Dennis M. Richardson was awarded the Air Force Cross here April 5, 40 years after the mission which earned him the Air Force's second-highest honor.

Nearly 300 members of his former unit attended his award ceremony.

Retired Brig. Gen. Frank Cardile (left) congratulates retired Chief Master Sgt. Dennis M. Richardson: He is presented with the Air Force Cross, lost in paperwork, 40 years late. Photo by Staff Sgt. David J. Murphy, New York National Guard.    » read more »